Ivanka Trump: “I Am Proud” Of Melania Trump’s Speech (VIDEO)

Ivanka Trump says she is “proud” of stepmother Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention, despite the plagiarism controversy surrounding the remarks. Watch below.

During an interview broadcast on Thursday’s “Today” show, Savannah Guthrie asked Ivanka for her reaction after it determined several lines of the speech plagiarized comments from First Lady Michelle Obama. “I love Melania so much, and I am so proud of the job that she did,” Ivanka replied.

She went on, “She’s a very private person, and for her to come out on that stage and speak from the heart and share her story about coming to this country — this is such a personal experience for her, and she shared it in such a graceful and articulate way. So, I am enormously impressed with her ability to do that, and have great respect for it.”

Ivanka will be the one at the podium on Thursday night, giving a speech before introducing her father, Donald Trump. She amusingly said she’ll be telling herself “don’t trip” before taking the stage, and candidly admitted she’s “terrified” of the big gig. “I’ve never spoken in a stadium like this, but, really, I just want to make sure I do a great job for him,” she explained. “It’s a real honor and a privilege that he asked me to do this, and I think it’s a testament to him as a parent.”

The speech will focus on their personal relationship and her “unique perspective,” as Ivanka told Guthrie, “I know the man as a parent, and I can share how he raised me and my siblings, the father he was. But I can also talk about the man that he is as a leader and an entrepreneur and a business-builder and a visionary.”

Ivanka said she was “emotional” seeing her father officially become the Republican nominee, but also noted, “I’m not surprised in retrospect because I’ve never seen my father apply himself towards a goal with determination and not achieve it.” She added, “It’s been an unbelievable journey, and I’m incredibly proud of my father.”

And over the last year, she’s worked on a growing a thicker skin. “The most helpful thing for me is I know who my father is as a person,” Ivanka shared. “A lot of labels get bantered around. People can say some vicious things. I know the truth about my father. I couldn’t support my father if I didn’t know those things to be pure fiction.” Check out the full interview below.